Erling Haaland ‘feels better’ after his injury at the weekend, and will be assessed ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League clash against Young Boys.
City can secure qualification to the knockout stages with two games to spare, but may have to do that without Haaland.
The Manchester City forward picked up the knock in the first half of Saturday’s 6-1 win over Bournemouth and Guardiola said after the game that he was not sure if Haaland would be available for Tuesday’s game against Young Boys.
But the City boss gave an encouraging update ahead of the Champions League encounter. “We speak with the doctors and we see. Yesterday said he feels much better,” he explained.
Guardiola added that he is not sure if Haaland will train on Monday ahead of the game, with media given access to the live session at 3pm.
With Tuesday’s game not carrying a huge amount of importance – City need two points from the final three Champions League matches to secure their place in the knockout stages – Guardiola may not feel the need to rush Haaland back. The European champions also face Chelsea on Sunday, the final match before November’s international break.
But Guardiola insisted that if Haaland is pain-free then he will play on Tuesday, with four days’ rest before the trip to Stamford Bridge this weekend.
“Tomorrow I will listen to the doctor. If he says he doesn’t have pain, I will consider to let him play. Tuesday to Sunday, there are a lot of days to recover. It is not Wednesday or Thursday, ” he said.
“If Erling does not play, then Julian [Alvarez] will play there, definitely” Guardiola added. “I think he feels comfortable playing behind the striker, running from surprise positions, but he can play in both. I am really pleased.”
